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Today’s Reason To Drink

I’ve been sipping on a small sample of the new Basil Hayden‘s Dark Rye over the past few days, and I think it’s absolutely delicious — which surprises me a bit, since the regular Basil Hayden is a bit too spicy for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the stuff, but if I had to choose between a sweeter bourbon or a spicier one, I’d go sweet all the way.

Before I get to the tasting notes, a little about what’s going into this new product. It blends Kentucky straight rye whiskey with Canadian rye whiskey and adds a splash of California port.

Just reading that description would make my guard come up — can Kentucky whiskey be harmoniously blended with Canadian whiskey? And a port finish? Hmm …

But, I swear to you, it is absolutely fabulous and reminds me of a Snickerdoodle cookie. Somehow there are cinnamon notes in there, sprinkled in with a tad bit of baking spices. And there is — magically — an undertone of sweetness I gleefully detect.

And look at the color of that juice — dark, rich amber! Makes my mouth water just glancing at the picture.

Each night I keep going back to it, thinking I’ve gone mad and the next sip will taste like regular Basil Hayden, and each time I am surprised by the whiskey’s nuances. At a suggested retail price of $39.99, I’m adding a bottle of this to my collection on my next trip to the liquor store.

Unfortunately it’s a limited release, but it should keep trickling out into January and February hopefully. A friend of mine found it at a liquor store in Southern Indiana. Sometimes they’ll keep it behind the counter, so maybe ask just to be sure. I saw it at Kroger once, too, on Goss. It just goes quickly.